Systems and methods for generating and using dynamic and localized route-based environmental information

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for generating localized environmental information along a route of travel are generally described, for example, to notify users of travel conditions along a specific route and/or to generate alternative routes based on the environmental conditions. In some embodiments, an environmental information route mapping system may generate environmental maps configured to graphically display a route of travel and associated environmental conditions along the route of travel at certain travel times. In some embodiments, the environmental route maps may be configured to include alternative routes based on the environmental conditions along a route path, such as an alternative route configured to avoid an area associated with an actual or predicted hazardous or otherwise undesirable environmental condition.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/547,009 filed on Nov. 18, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/905,379 filed on Nov. 18, 2013, thecontents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety as iffully set forth herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The described technology generally relates to processes and technologiesfor generating localized environmental information along a route oftravel and, more specifically, to presenting the environmentalinformation to notify users of travel conditions along a specific routeand/or to generate alternative routes based on the environmentalconditions to optimize user travel conditions and efficiency.

BACKGROUND

Travelers and commuters have long sought myriad methods and devices toassist in planning their trips or commutes, including consulting weatherand traffic reports. Conventional reports from a television or radiobroadcast, a web page, a smart phone application, or other deliverymeans are typically only localized on a relatively broad potentialaudience. For example, a radio broadcast of current and forecastedweather conditions are typically only localized to the geographic areawhere the broadcast is aired. In order to attract and maintain a wideaudience, such information reports must include the widest area possiblewithin the broadcast zone. Similarly, broadcast traffic reports are onlyrelevant to listeners traveling certain particular routes, which mayonly be a small percentage of the total audience. For instance, atraffic and weather report for a metropolitan area, such as New YorkCity, typically contains a vast amount of information to which only asmall portion is useful to each listener, depending on that listener'sspecific location. In a television broadcast, the localization andamount of information is even broader, since a television broadcast cancover significantly more area than a radio broadcast, including anentire state or multi-state region. The weather in Albany, N.Y. may notbe very useful to a viewer in Lower Manhattan. In fact, a listener orviewer in Lower Manhattan must focus on the entire information reportjust to wean out the portion of information that is useful to him. Sucha process is inefficient and time consuming to many consumers who areonly looking for a very specific and localized amount of information.

Internet web sites and smartphone applications can be customized tofocus only on the areas of importance to a specific user. However, auser may be traveling through multiple areas in which weather or otherenvironmental information may differ. For example, a user traveling fromAlbany, N.Y. to Lower Manhattan may be able to obtain weatherinformation for both locations, but not for the locations between thesetwo destinations, where actual hazardous whether conditions may exist.In order for a user to gather sufficient information on the entirebreadth of his journey or travels, the user must repeat theinformation-gathering process for each area. In addition, the user maynot be able to access such information or reports while traveling. Forinstance, there may be safety concerns for a user to updateenvironmental conditions using a smartphone while driving. In anotherinstance, the user may not have access to the information during certainportions of their travel route, such as areas where wireless ortelecommunication channels are unavailable for information-gatheringusing a smartphone application. Overall, even if the environmentalinformation is available, such conventional processes requiringcontinual information-gathering is both time consuming and inefficient.

What is needed therefore, is an efficient and effective system andmethod to provide highly localized, customized, and dynamic weather andenvironmental information from multiple areas along a travel route.

SUMMARY

This disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, devices andmethods described, as these may vary. The terminology used in thedescription is for the purpose of describing the particular versions orembodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.

As used in this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skillin the art. Nothing in this disclosure is to be construed as anadmission that the embodiments described in this disclosure are notentitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention. Asused in this document, the term “comprising” means “including, but notlimited to.”

In an embodiment, a system configured to generate an environmental mapbased on at least one environmental condition may include a processorand a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium in operablecommunication with the processor that contains one or more programminginstructions. The one or more programming instructions, when executed,may cause the processor to access a route plan associated with routeinformation comprising a plurality of route zones, determine a traveltime for each of the plurality of route zones, determine the at leastone environmental condition for each of the plurality of route zones atthe travel time, and generate the environmental map for the route plan,the environmental map being configured to indicate the at least oneenvironmental condition for each of the plurality of route zones.

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for generating anenvironmental map based on at least one environmental condition mayinclude, by a processor, accessing a route plan associated with routeinformation comprising a plurality of route zones, determining a traveltime for each of the plurality of route zones, determining the at leastone environmental condition for each of the plurality of route zones atthe travel time, and generating the environmental map for the routeplan, the environmental map being configured to indicate the at leastone environmental condition for each of the plurality of route zones.

In an embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-readable program code configured to generate an environmentalmap based on at least one environmental condition may includecomputer-readable program code configured to access a route planassociated with route information comprising a plurality of route zones,computer-readable program code configured to determine a travel time foreach of the plurality of route zones, computer-readable program codeconfigured to determine the at least one environmental condition foreach of the plurality of route zones at the travel time, andcomputer-readable program code configured to generate the environmentalmap for the route plan, the environmental map being configured toindicate the at least one environmental condition for each of theplurality of route zones.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects of the present invention will become morereadily apparent from the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative environmental condition mapping systemaccording to a some embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative environmental map according to someembodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an illustrative method for generatingan environmental map according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates various embodiments of a computing device forimplementing the various methods and processes described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The described technology generally relates to systems and methods forgenerating localized environmental information along a route of traveland, more specifically, to presenting the environmental information tonotify users of travel conditions along a specific route and/or togenerate alternative routes based on the environmental conditioninformation (or “environmental conditions”). In particular, someembodiments may provide an environmental information route mappingsystem (the “mapping system” or the “system”) configured to generate,update, transmit, deliver, present, or otherwise make availableenvironmental maps. In some embodiments, the environmental maps mayinclude digital maps. In some embodiments, the environmental route mapsmay be configured to, among other things, indicate environmentalconditions along a route path. In some embodiments, the environmentalroute maps may be configured to include alternative routes based on theenvironmental conditions along a route path. For example, an alternativeroute may be configured to avoid an area of a route path associated witha hazardous or otherwise undesirable environmental condition.

In some embodiments, the mapping system may be configured to receive aroute or “route plan” from a user computing device for a route of travelfrom a first location to a second location (the “destination”). In someembodiments, the mapping system may be configured to generate a routeplan based on a current location and a destination received from theuser computing device, such as by entering the name of the destinationand/or drawing or selection on a digital map. A route plan may includeroute information, such as a route, path, itinerary, course, or othertype of travel directions. In some embodiments, a route plan may includeand/or the mapping system may determine travel time informationconfigured to indicate an estimated travel time for traveling the routeplan. In some embodiments, the travel time information may be stored asroute information associated with a route plan. In some embodiments, theroute information may include a mode of transportation, such as byautomobile, public transportation (e.g., bus, subway, train, trolley),taxi, bicycle, on-foot, or the like.

The mapping system may be configured to determine a plurality of zonesor “route zones” for the route path In some embodiments, a user maydesignate one or more route zones along the route plan. In someembodiments, the route zones may be configured to segment, divide, orotherwise apportion the route plan into various areas. In someembodiments, the route zones may be configured to highlight or otherwiseindicate areas along a route path. The route zones may include and/or bebased on various factors, such as geographic location, landmarks,cities, states, municipalities, neighborhoods, counties, geographicformations or regions (i.e., bodies of water, mountains, desert, etc.),buildings, structures (i.e., bridges, highways, tunnels, subwaysystems), modes of transportation, likelihood of hazardous conditions,safety risk, legal jurisdictions, temporal information (i.e., travelingduring the day or night), defined areas or dimensions (i.e., a cityblock, a square mile, a square kilometer, etc.), or the like. In someembodiments, the route zones may be stored as route informationassociated with a route plan.

In some embodiments, the mapping system may be configured to determineenvironmental information associated with each of the route zones.Non-limiting examples of environmental information may include current,forecasted, projected, estimated, calculated, or otherwise determinedinformation associated with weather, traffic, crowd population,construction, public events, public transportation conditions (e.g.,schedules, subway operation, indications that a public transportationroutes are off-schedule, etc.), tides, currents, laws, financialinformation (e.g., prices, travel costs, or the like), crime rates andcriminal activity, user information (e.g., health, preferences,financial information, etc.), pollutant information, or the like. Insome embodiments, the mapping system may receive and/or determine zonetiming information configured to indicate a time of arrival or travelthrough one or more of the route zones. In some embodiment, the mappingsystem may determine the zone timing information based on the traveltime information for the route plan.

Although the examples may involve the route zones, embodiments are notso limiting as the mapping system may be configured to perform thefunctions described herein at the route plan and/or the route zonelevel.

The mapping system may generate an environmental map for a route planbased on the environmental information. In some embodiments, theenvironmental map may be configured to indicate an environmentalcondition for one or more of the route zones. In some embodiments, themapping system may be configured to indicate an environmental conditionfor one or more route zones at an estimated time that the user will bewithin and/or proximate to a route zone based on the zone timinginformation. For instance, a user transmit information to the mappingsystem indicating that the user is traveling from point A to point B,starting at time t₁. The mapping system may determine a route planhaving route zones 1-4. At time ti, route zone 3 may have a firstweather condition (i.e., sunny and no precipitation). The mapping systemmay determine that the user will be traveling through route zone 3 attime t₂. The mapping system may determine that route zone 3 may have asecond weather condition (i.e., rain and low visibility) at time timet₂. Accordingly, the mapping system may generate an environmental mapshowing the weather conditions at route zone 3 at mapping system at timet₂ when the user will actually be traveling through route zone 3. Insome embodiments, the mapping system may be configured to dynamicallychange the environmental based on changes in the environmentalinformation or travel time. For example, if slow travel conditions causemapping system to estimate that the user may reach route zone 3 at timet₃, the mapping system may dynamically update the environmental map toindicate the environmental conditions at time t₃ instead of t₂. Inanother example, the mapping system may continuously monitor for changesin environmental conditions, such as a change in forecasted weatherconditions or traffic conditions (i.e., a traffic accident orcongestion), which may trigger the mapping system to update theenvironmental map accordingly and/or alert the user to the changedconditions.

In some embodiments, the mapping system may be configured to identifyadjustment conditions that may cause the mapping system to initiate analert (or other message) or to generate a route that avoids one or morezones subject to the adjustment condition. In general, an adjustmentcondition may be any condition that may cause a user to want to avoid aroute zone such as inclement weather, construction, a traffic accident,or the like. In some embodiments, the mapping system may include defaultadjustment conditions, such as inclement weather. In some embodiments,at least a portion of the adjustment conditions may includeuser-selected and/or user-defined adjustment conditions, including,without limitation, tolls, highways, risk threshold (i.e., high trafficaccident density areas, likelihood of ice formation on roadway, etc.),speed limits, specific areas (e.g., avoid certain neighborhoods orgeographic areas, such as hills), or the like. In some embodiment, themapping system may be configured to determine an environmental map basedon the adjustment conditions. In some embodiments, the mapping systemmay be configured to dynamically alter an environmental map (i.e.,generate an “alternative map”) based on adjustment conditions.

In some embodiments, the described technology may be configured toprovide and deliver a highly-localized and customized environmentalinformation report along a defined path, route or geographic boundary.Some embodiments may include systems and methods for providing ahighly-localized weather report along a defined route for a consumerincluding, without limitation, a localized weather report along atraveler's route. In one embodiment the system and method may use verylocalized and granular weather data to provide a customized weatherreport spanning a traveler's entire path during a given period of time.

With the advancement of satellite, radar and other environmental datacollection systems, highly accurate and timely weather information canbe generated for a highly-localized geographic location. For example, inmany metropolitan areas, where several weather stations and otherreporting equipment are located, current weather information may be agranular as a street-by-street, or block-by-block basis. To many peoplein these areas, knowing the weather at such a granular level providesthe opportunity to plan, and execute travel to maximize the chances ofavoiding any weather hindrances. For example, according to oneembodiment, a commuter who lives on the North side of New York City inManhattan, has a daily commute to Wall Street near the South end ofManhattan. The commuter travels a specific route to work every day thatmay include travel by public transportation, bicycle, on-foot, and/orany combination thereof. According to one embodiment, systems andmethods may allow for the commuter to define a given route to thedestination and generate a report containing weather and otherenvironmental data that is highly specific and localized to that route.

The mapping system described according to some embodiments providesmultiple technological advantages and technical effects on processes andtechniques, including processes and techniques external to the mappingsystem. Conventional mapping systems and processes cannot dynamicallypresent environmental conditions projected along a travel route inreal-time or substantially real time. A non-limiting technologicaladvantage and technical effect of the mapping system according to someembodiments is that the mapping system may allow certain devices, suchas computing devices, to operate more effectively and efficiently whenbeing used to generate a travel route in a manner that is more accurate,effective, informative, and efficient than current processes. Therefore,the mapping system according to some embodiments may operate to improvethe map generation process by making the process more efficient,accurate, and cost-effective and may improve the user experience ofusers as they generate and use digital maps.

Although examples using weather information, are used herein,embodiments are not so limited as any type of environmental informationcapable of being used by the disclosed methods or systems according tosome embodiments is contemplated herein.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative environmental condition mapping systemaccording to a some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1, the environmentalcondition mapping system (the “mapping system” or the “system”) 100 mayinclude one or more server logic devices 110, which may generallyinclude a processor, a non-transitory memory or other storage device forhousing programming instructions, data or information regarding one ormore applications, and other hardware, including, for example, thecentral processing unit (CPU) 405, read only memory (ROM) 410, randomaccess memory (RAM) 415, communication ports 440, controller 420, and/ormemory device 425 depicted in FIG. 4 and described below in referencethereto.

In some embodiments, the programming instructions may include anenvironmental condition mapping application (the “mapping application”or the “application”) configured to, among other things, access at leastone of a route plan, a current location, a destination, environmentalconditions, and/or combinations thereof. The mapping application may beconfigured to determine one or more route zones for the route plan andto determine at least one environmental condition for the one or moreroute zones. The mapping application may generate an environmental routefor the route plan that is configured to indicate at least oneenvironmental condition for each of the plurality of route zones. Insome embodiments, the mapping application may be configured to determineone or more adjustment conditions associated with the one or more routezones. The mapping application may be configured to adjust anenvironmental map and/or to generate an environmental map having a pathconfigured to avoid route zones associated with the adjustmentconditions.

The server logic devices 110 may be in operable communication withclient logic devices 105, including, but not limited to, servercomputing devices, personal computers (PCs), kiosk computing devices,mobile computing devices, laptop computers, smartphones, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), global positioning system (GPS) devices,televisions (i.e., “smart” televisions), printing devices, tabletcomputing devices, in-care entertainment (ICE) systems, or any otherlogic and/or computing devices now known or developed in the future.

In some embodiments, the mapping application may be accessible throughvarious platforms, such as a client application, web-based application,over the Internet, and/or a mobile application (for example, a “mobileapp” or “app”). According to some embodiments, the mapping applicationmay be configured to operate on each client logic device 105 and/or tooperate on a server computing device accessible to client logic devicesover a network, such as the Internet. All or some of the files, dataand/or processes used for generating environmental maps and/or adjustedmaps may be stored locally on each client logic device 105 and/or storedin a central location and accessible over a network (e.g., the Internetor on server logic devices 110).

In an embodiment, one or more data stores 115 may be accessible by theclient logic devices 105 and/or server logic devices 110. The datastores 115 may include information use for generating route plans,environmental conditions, adjustment conditions, historical route planand/or environmental conditions, or any other information capable ofbeing used according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, at leasta portion of the data stores 115 may include third-party information,such as third-party databases, websites, mapping engines or software,graphics engines or software, or the like. Although the one or more datastores 115 are depicted as being separate from the logic devices 105,110, embodiments are not so limited, as all or some of the one or moredata stores may be stored in one or more of the logic devices.

In some embodiments, a user may access the mapping application operatingon the server logic devices 110 through a client logic device 105, suchas through a mobile app operating on a smartphone. In some embodiments,a user may create a user profile, user account, or otherwise registerwith the mapping application. The server logic devices 110 may storeinformation associated with the user, such as username and passwordinformation to access the mapping application and/or enhanced featuresthereof, payment information for fee-based functions and services,demographic information, user preferences, historical information (e.g.,route paths, locations, destinations, preference choices, etc.), or thelike.

The user may transmit a route plan to the mapping application.Alternatively, the user may transmit a destination and the mappingapplication may generate a route plan from a starting point to thedestination. The starting point may be provided by the user ordetermined by the mapping application, such as through GPS informationfrom the client logic device 105 or other device- or app-based locationinformation known to those having ordinary skill in the art.

The mapping application may assign or apportion the route plan intoroute zones, such as by travel distance (i.e., every 20 square miles isa zone, every 50 miles along the route is a zone, etc.), geographiclocations and/or boundaries, or the like. In some embodiments, certainof the route zones may be based on user selections or preferences. Forinstance, a user may select areas along the route path using an inputdevice operably connected to the client logic device to specify routezones (or, alternatively, to de-select route zones), such as by tracing,selecting, or the like via the input device. In some embodiments, themapping application may present a user with selected or potential routezones and the user may select or deselect the presented route zones(i.e., using checkboxes, by clicking on the route zones, or otherselection techniques).

The mapping application may perform a search for environmentalinformation associated with the route path, such as environmentalinformation associated with the route path and/or each individual routezone. In some embodiments, the environmental information may includegranular, highly-localized weather information. The mapping applicationmay perform the search using various data sources, such as databases,websites, data repositories, or the like. For instance, the mappingapplication may access a weather information source or databaseproviding current weather conditions and forecasted weather information.In another instance, the mapping application may access information froma traffic information service. In a further instance, the mappingapplication may access information from a crowd-sourcing service orsocial network service, such as Facebook® or twitter® to determinewhether individuals, groups, or the like have provided informationregarding a route zone. For example, the mapping application (or athird-party service) may determine that social network users areindicating that travel in a certain condition is hazardous due toweather conditions. In another example, the mapping application mayprovide a function configured to allow users to provide environmentalconditions to the mapping system through, for example, a mobile app,email, simple messaging system (SMS) messages, and/or web-basedinterface. In a still further instance, the mapping application mayaccess information from news sources (e.g., online news publicationssuch as www.nytimes.com, www.reddit.com, or the like) to determinewhether there is any information relating to a particular route zone.For example, an online news source may have an article stating that acertain public event, such as a demonstration, parade, or the like, maybe affecting traffic in certain route zones. In yet a further instance,the mapping application may access online information for governmententities, such as municipalities, departments of transportation, or thelike to determine whether they have provided information relating toenvironmental conditions within one or more route zones. The foregoinginstances are non-limiting, as the mapping application may accessenvironmental conditions from any source capable of providinginformation that may be used according to some embodiments.

The mapping application may associate the environmental conditions withthe route zones. In some embodiments, the mapping application mayassociate the environmental conditions with the route zones based on anestimated time that the user will be within or proximate to the routezone. The mapping application may generate an environmental mappresenting the route path and indications of the environmentalconditions associated with the route zones. The environmental map may bepresented on a display device in operable communication with the clientlogic device 105. In some embodiments, the mapping application maycontinuously search, query, or otherwise monitor for changes in theenvironmental conditions. In this manner, the environmental mappresented on the display device may be dynamically updated in real-timeor substantially real-time based on changes in the environmentalconditions.

In some embodiments, the generation of the environmental may by themapping application may include presenting suggested modes oftransportation, for instance, based on the environmental conditions. Forexample, a user may provide route information that they will betraveling on-foot through certain portions of the route path, such aswithin a particular route zone. The mapping application may providesuggestions, alternatives and/or configure the route using a differentmode of transportation (e.g., subway, rail, taxi, automobile) based onthe weather conditions. In some embodiments, the mapping application mayprovide suggestions, alternatives and/or configure the route to changethe timing of travel through a route zone to avoid certain environmentalconditions.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative environmental map according to someembodiments. As shown in FIG. 2, an environmental map 205 may include ahigh level diagram or map of a metropolitan area and navigational.According to one embodiment, a use may provide route informationindicating a travel route from point A to point D at a start time. Thepath A-D may be any navigable path, including via walking, automobile,waterway, public transportation, or the like. The mapping system maygenerate a path from A-D according to mapping and navigation techniquesprovided according to some embodiments, including using mappingtechniques known to those having ordinary skill in the art. For example,the system may determine the path according to an algorithm yielding thefastest route of travel according to a set of user inputs. Those inputsmay include mode of transportation (i.e., walking, automobile, publictransportation, subway, etc.), shortest duration, shortest distance,non-major roadways, toll avoidance, etc. For example, the user may havechosen to generate path A-D using public transportation systems of themetropolitan area. The returned path A-D may take the user, via walkingto point B, a nearest subway station, where the user will take thesubway to point C, followed by the user taking a bus from point C topoint D, the destination. According to one embodiment, the system maycorrelate the defined path A-D with the current weather along the path.Advances in meteorological forecasting, the increased granularityinformation due to the abundance of weather stations and antennae, andfaster processing speeds may allow the system to determine currentweather conditions on a street-by-street, or block-by-block basis, andfurther establish accurate forecasts of the weather patterns for otherstreets and blocks in the area. The system may analyze the weather dataprovided through various channels according to some embodiments.

For example, the system may receive a multitude of weather reports anddata submissions from several weather stations located throughout thearea to determine that it is currently raining and lightning over aportion of the path A-B. The system may inform the user of suchinformation and provide an alternate route, suggest delaying for aperiod of time until the weather passes, or seek confirmation to keepthe same route. In the given example, the user may be walking the pathA-B, so the user may opt to delay the start of travel until the providesinformation that the weather has passed and it is no longer raining andlightening and/or the risk thereof is below a certain threshold (e.g.,below a default threshold, below a user-specified threshold, or thelike, such as a percentage chance of weather occurance).

In another example, the user may specify that the mode of transportationmay be via a bicycle along the entire length of the path A-D. Thesystem, with the defined parameters input by the user, may generate thepath A-D in FIG. 1 along the surface streets of the metropolitan area.The system may correlate the path A-D with received weather data andinforms the user that, according to the navigational parameters input bythe user (i.e., bicycle travel) and the calculated time of travel, thatit will be raining over a portion of the path B-C during the estimatedtime the user would be traveling that segment of the overall path A-D.According to one embodiment, the system may re-calculate or adjust thepath taking into account the weather information to avoid route zonesB-C, generating new route A-B′-D. Based on the current and past weatherconditions over the path A-B, the system calculates when the weatherwould be estimated to be over the new path B′-D and determines that therider would be passed the affected area on the route by the time theinclement weather arrived over these route zones. In this manner therider has been able to avoid inclement weather while riding a bicyclefrom A to D.

According to one embodiment of the invention the system may beimplemented via an application of program designed for a smartphone,tablet or other mobile device. In such a device the system may takeadvantage of GPS, or mobile tracking features of the device to eitherconstantly or periodically check the weather along the defined path andprovide information to the user and update the route if instructed to doso by the user. For example, the user has begun traveling from A-D viabicycle, however a rain storm develops after the user has already begunthe trip. Embodiments of the system recognize the impending inclementweather and alert the user of such conditions. Alternatively or inaddition, the system may re-calculate or adjust an environmental mapdesigned to avoid the inclement weather and suggest the new route to theuser. The alert to the user may be in the form of an audio indication, avibration alert, SMS message, or any other communication mechanismwithin the device.

According to another embodiment of the invention temporal parameters mayalso be used to generate, analyze, and alter navigational paths. Forexample, if a given route is more advantageous at certain times of theday, that route may be favored. Other parameters may include, but arenot limited to, sunrise, sunset, moon phase, temperature, season,pollen, airborne pollutants, or combinations thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, the environmental conditions may be presented asgraphical representations (i.e., graphical user interface (GUI)elements) of environmental conditions, such as weather symbols. In someembodiments, the GUI elements may be selectable to present otherinformation associated therewith. For instance, a user may select aweather-based environmental conditions to determine information aboutthe environmental condition, such as the probability that theenvironmental condition will occur (e.g., 70% chance of snow), durationof the environmental condition, severity of the environmental condition,or the like.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an illustrative method for generatingan environmental map that may be performed by the mapping system, suchas through a server logic device (i.e., server logic device 110 of FIG.1), arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments describedherein. Example methods may include one or more operations, functions oractions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 305, 310, 315, 320, 325,330, 335, 340, and/or 345. The operations described in blocks 305-345may also be stored as computer-executable instructions in acomputer-readable medium such the memory elements 410, 415, and 425depicted in FIG. 4. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, variousblocks may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewerblocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation.

The mapping system may receive 305 route information associated with atravel route of a user. For example, a user may transmit a destinationto the mapping system using a client logic device, such as a tabletcomputing device. The mapping system may determine the current locationof the user, such as through GPS or device information, and generate 310a route plan from the current location to the destination. The mappingsystem may determine route zones 315 for the route plan, such asgeographic areas or other zones. The mapping system may determine 320environmental conditions for the route plan. For instance, the mappingsystem may determine localized weather conditions along the route plan.The mapping system may generate 325 an environmental map including agraphical representation of the route plan and indications ofenvironmental conditions along the route plan, such as for each routezone. In some embodiments, the mapping application may present 335 theenvironmental map, displaying the route path and the environmentalconditions. For example, the mapping application may transmit theenvironmental map to a client logic device or presentation on a displayoperably coupled thereto.

In some embodiments, after the mapping system may determine whetherthere are any adjustment conditions 330. If the mapping system does notdetect any adjustment conditions 330, the mapping application maypresent 335 the environmental map. If the mapping system does detectadjustment conditions 330, the mapping system may generate 340 analternative map that avoids the adjustment conditions. The mappingapplication may present 345 the alternative map that displays thealternative route plan and the environmental conditions.

According to some embodiments, the mapping system may provide a methodof providing enhanced travel information. Based on the user input of abeginning and ending location, a map or path from between the two may bedetermined and generated for the user. The method may determine thecurrent and forecasted weather for the specific locations along thedefined path. If inclement or otherwise undesirable or concerningweather is occurring or will soon occur, an alternate path may begenerated to avoid such weather. Alternatively, the user may overrideany recommendation or change to the path and continue on the originallydetermined path. If a new or alternative path is determined, the usermay be given new or adjusted navigational instructions to thedestination.

Although some embodiments are described herein with relation tocommuters or travelers, one skilled in the art will recognize that thescope of the invention is not limited to only those users. For example,cross-country travel, road-trips, athletic events, and otherapplications in which a path is defined may be implemented withoutdeviating from the scope of the invention.

Further, while some embodiments herein are described in the context of asmartphone or mobile device, one skilled in the art will recognize thatany device capable of receiving weather information, processing saidinformation and generating a navigation path may be used to implementembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of exemplary internal hardware that maybe used to contain or implement the various computer processes andsystems as discussed above. A bus 400 serves as the main informationhighway interconnecting the other illustrated components of thehardware. CPU 405 is the central processing unit of the system,performing calculations and logic operations required to execute aprogram. CPU 405 is an exemplary processing device, computing device orprocessor as such terms are used within this disclosure. Read onlymemory (ROM) 430 and random access memory (RAM) 435 constitute exemplarymemory devices.

A controller 420 interfaces with one or more optional memory devices 425via the system bus 400. These memory devices 425 may include, forexample, an external or internal DVD drive, a CD ROM drive, a harddrive, flash memory, a USB drive or the like. As indicated previously,these various drives and controllers are optional devices. Additionally,the memory devices 425 may be configured to include individual files forstoring any software modules or instructions, auxiliary data, commonfiles for storing groups of results or auxiliary, or one or moredatabases for storing the result information, auxiliary data, andrelated information as discussed above.

Program instructions, software or interactive modules for performing anyof the functional steps associated with the determination,configuration, transmission, decoding, or the like of the presentationsettings as described above may be stored in the ROM 430 and/or the RAM435. Optionally, the program instructions may be stored on a tangiblecomputer-readable medium such as a compact disk, a digital disk, flashmemory, a memory card, a USB drive, an optical disc storage medium, suchas a Blu-ray™ disc, and/or other recording medium.

An optional display interface 430 can permit information from the bus400 to be displayed on the display 435 in audio, visual, graphic oralphanumeric format. The information may include information related toa current job ticket and associated tasks. Communication with externaldevices may occur using various communication ports 440. An exemplarycommunication port 440 may be attached to a communications network, suchas the Internet or a local area network.

The hardware may also include an interface 445 which allows for receiptof data from input devices such as a keyboard 450 or other input device455 such as a mouse, a joystick, a touch screen, a remote control, apointing device, a video input device and/or an audio input device.

It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and otherfeatures and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirablycombined into many other different systems or applications. It will alsobe appreciated that various presently unforeseen or unanticipatedalternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may besubsequently made by those skilled in the art which alternatives,variations and improvements are also intended to be encompassed by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system configured to generate an environmental map based on at least one environmental condition, the system comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium in operable communication with the processor, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: access a route plan associated with route information comprising a plurality of route zones, determine a travel time for each of the plurality of route zones, determine the at least one environmental condition for each of the plurality of route zones at the travel time, and generate the environmental map for the route plan, the environmental map being configured to indicate the at least one environmental condition for each of the plurality of route zones. 